Newbie Photo Editing Software

[Chaosrider]

I've never been into video editing, but now I've got many hours of drone footage that follow Sturgeon's Law, and I need to thin the herds...

However, I have some constraints:

1) I have chubby, stubby, klutzy fingers. There is no possible way that I can do video editing on either a phone, or a tablet. I need something that will run on my Windows 10 PC, that I can steer using my trackball, and provide input using my full size keyboard. And project onto my 60" "monitor"...

2) I need something that is easy to learn. For me, feature bloat is a bug, not a feature. As long as I can trim, cut, and paste, and learn how to do that quickly and easily, all other features are optional. For comparison, I bought the entry level Corel video SW, and it was an abomination in terms of trying to learn to use it. One problem from my perspective is that the screen is just too friggin' cluttered with stuff I'll probably never use.

3) I don't want to spend as much as I would for a professional drone, but low cost is not high on my list of concerns for the software. I've always thought that Adobe products were seriously overpriced, but if they have a video editing program that's easy to learn and use, I'd be willing to pay a couple of hundred bucks for that. Maybe more.

4) I have a seriously rotten satellite internet connection, so I can't get a program that relies heavily on live internet just to do basic stuff. Updates and stuff like that over the internet are fine, but it has to be entirely stand-alone for normal operations. I've signed up for the SpaceX Starlink system, but they don't have it yet where I live.

I would very much appreciate suggestions for specific SW apps that would meet these basic requirements. It's entirely possible that every single person in this section of the forum knows more about video editing than I do, so I won't be the least bit insulted if you make very basic suggestions.

As long as you don't make them in an insulting manor...

;-)

I anxiously await the judgement of the experts, which I most certainly am not!

Thx,

TCS

 

[Tufargon]

I went with Wondershare Filmora because it was one of the easiest out there and still has a lot of features once you start getting better.

 

[Uncle Hoser]

My "old" Win 10 machine's graphics card won't handle anything too advanced, but I've had luck with kdenlive. It's free, and even I (a complete newb!) had it under control for basic editing in a few hours. It's free, so it can't hurt to ry... Good luck!

 

[Chaosrider]

I went with Wondershare Filmora because it was one of the easiest out there and still has a lot of features once you start getting better.

OK, I've downloaded and installed the free sample version. Better. The intro samples were silly-simple, in other words, perfect!

I clipped one piece of a flight video, but after that, it became less obvious.

A common use case for me will be to take a video, identify a section that I want, and cut everything on either side of that. But when I went to clip the "remaining" segment, it did some weird thing that I couldn't follow.

Segments A, B, and C on a video. I want to cut A and C, and retain only B. I'm sure it can be done, but it's not obvious how. Still, I haven't even glanced at the instructions yet.

Thanks, I'll poke around with it for a while, and see if I can make it work.



TCS

 

[Tufargon]

OK, I've downloaded and installed the free sample version. Better. The intro samples were silly-simple, in other words, perfect!

I clipped one piece of a flight video, but after that, it became less obvious.

A common use case for me will be to take a video, identify a section that I want, and cut everything on either side of that. But when I went to clip the "remaining" segment, it did some weird thing that I couldn't follow.

Segments A, B, and C on a video. I want to cut A and C, and retain only B. I'm sure it can be done, but it's not obvious how. Still, I haven't even glanced at the instructions yet.

Thanks, I'll poke around with it for a while, and see if I can make it work.



TCS

Youtube has tons of instructional videos too. There is a trash button to the left that can do that or you can right click on the portion you want to get rid of and hit delete.

 

[Chaosrider]

OK, I've downloaded and installed the free sample version. Better. The intro samples were silly-simple, in other words, perfect!

I clipped one piece of a flight video, but after that, it became less obvious.

A common use case for me will be to take a video, identify a section that I want, and cut everything on either side of that. But when I went to clip the "remaining" segment, it did some weird thing that I couldn't follow.

Segments A, B, and C on a video. I want to cut A and C, and retain only B. I'm sure it can be done, but it's not obvious how. Still, I haven't even glanced at the instructions yet.

Thanks, I'll poke around with it for a while, and see if I can make it work.



TCS

I edited my first video! The rendering process is painfully slow, but that just means I need to get a new computer, which I already knew. Now, I have a specific reason to go do it!

The "free" version has limitations, but it was fully sufficient to get me to buy the full version, which I'm sure was the intent.

Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!





TCS

 

[Tufargon]

That's great!
Check and see if the proxy is set in the settings. It will make a huge difference if it's not.

Create/Use/Edit Proxy Files | Proxy Video Editing

In this article, we are going to share with you everything you need to know about proxy video editing and show you how you can edit these proxy files to make videos in Filmora9.

filmora.wondershare.com

 

[Brian I]

Check out VSDC Video Editor. There is a free version and a more feature-rich paid for version.
VSDC Free Video Software: audio and video editing tools

 

[Dale D]

I've never been into video editing, but now I've got many hours of drone footage that follow Sturgeon's Law, and I need to thin the herds...

However, I have some constraints:

1) I have chubby, stubby, klutzy fingers. There is no possible way that I can do video editing on either a phone, or a tablet. I need something that will run on my Windows 10 PC, that I can steer using my trackball, and provide input using my full size keyboard. And project onto my 60" "monitor"...

2) I need something that is easy to learn. For me, feature bloat is a bug, not a feature. As long as I can trim, cut, and paste, and learn how to do that quickly and easily, all other features are optional. For comparison, I bought the entry level Corel video SW, and it was an abomination in terms of trying to learn to use it. One problem from my perspective is that the screen is just too friggin' cluttered with stuff I'll probably never use.

3) I don't want to spend as much as I would for a professional drone, but low cost is not high on my list of concerns for the software. I've always thought that Adobe products were seriously overpriced, but if they have a video editing program that's easy to learn and use, I'd be willing to pay a couple of hundred bucks for that. Maybe more.

4) I have a seriously rotten satellite internet connection, so I can't get a program that relies heavily on live internet just to do basic stuff. Updates and stuff like that over the internet are fine, but it has to be entirely stand-alone for normal operations. I've signed up for the SpaceX Starlink system, but they don't have it yet where I live.

I would very much appreciate suggestions for specific SW apps that would meet these basic requirements. It's entirely possible that every single person in this section of the forum knows more about video editing than I do, so I won't be the least bit insulted if you make very basic suggestions.

As long as you don't make them in an insulting manor...

;-)

I anxiously await the judgement of the experts, which I most certainly am not!

Thx,

TCS

Call me a skeptic but in my opinion, there is no easy solution when it comes to video editing. My video editing history goes back to November,2015 when I first started to do timelapse photography. The software had its own internal video rendering program and I was able to produce small videos with it, but without sound. I obtained my first drone, A Mavic 1 air red, about 3 years ago, then, the Mavic Air 2, the Mavic pro 2, and the Mini 2. I spent tons of time trying to learn Adobe Premiere Pro to no avail. This included the community college, You Tube, and Adobe tutorials. Finally, I was able to bring in a personal teacher for a week end of intensive computer time, and finally learned the basics. Yes, I also tried the Apple Store classes with iMovie.

Bottom line, the free version of Da Vinci Resolve and lots of You Tube time, or Adobe Premiere, with expectations of their subscription costs and try to learn using the Adobe and You Tube tuitions.

 

[orionshooter]

Based on the OPs limitations and needs, DaVinci Resolve may not be a good fit. Even the free version has lots of stuff that goes beyond his limited needs. Even worse, it’s slow and unstable without a really good graphics card and CPU.

On the other hand, it’s free and has a good reputation so maybe worth at least a try.

Thanks to the original poster for asking a question and seeking advice I have been procrastinating on.

 

[Dale D]

Based on the OPs limitations and needs, DaVinci Resolve may not be a good fit. Even the free version has lots of stuff that goes beyond his limited needs. Even worse, it’s slow and unstable without a really good graphics card and CPU.

On the other hand, it’s free and has a good reputation so maybe worth at least a try.

Thanks to the original poster for asking a question and seeking advice I have been procrastinating on.

With video editing there is no free lunch

 

[orionshooter]

With video editing there is no free lunch

Please expound. If you’re saying the ultimate goal for publishing free versions is to encourage a purchase, I agree. But that’s a choice we are free to make or avoid based on assessments.

 

[Chaosrider]

My "old" Win 10 machine's graphics card won't handle anything too advanced, but I've had luck with kdenlive. It's free, and even I (a complete newb!) had it under control for basic editing in a few hours. It's free, so it can't hurt to ry... Good luck!

I just need to bite the bullet and get a new computer. The one I have is from 2013, and at the time, I had no need for fast graphics processing, so I didn't spec the machine that way.

Any suggestions for what I might include in the specs for my new computer?

Thx!

TCS

 

[Dale D]

Please expound. If you’re saying the ultimate goal for publishing free versions is to encourage a purchase, I agree. But that’s a choice we are free to make or avoid based on assessments.

More than happy "to expound." My point was, when I say "no free lunch" I mean there is no easy way to learn video editing no matter what program you choose. You have to put in the work, the hours, and the learning curve. Just like most everything else in life.

 

[PAW]

More than happy "to expound." My point was, when I say "no free lunch" I mean there is no easy way to learn video editing no matter what program you choose. You have to put in the work, the hours, and the learning curve. Just like most everything else in life.

The good news is that learning how to use simple Non-linear editing (NLE) video editors (like those mentioned in the above posts) greatly eases the move to more complex features or programs.

 

[Chaosrider]

Call me a skeptic but in my opinion, there is no easy solution when it comes to video editing. My video editing history goes back to November,2015 when I first started to do timelapse photography. The software had its own internal video rendering program and I was able to produce small videos with it, but without sound. I obtained my first drone, A Mavic 1 air red, about 3 years ago, then, the Mavic Air 2, the Mavic pro 2, and the Mini 2. I spent tons of time trying to learn Adobe Premiere Pro to no avail. This included the community college, You Tube, and Adobe tutorials. Finally, I was able to bring in a personal teacher for a week end of intensive computer time, and finally learned the basics. Yes, I also tried the Apple Store classes with iMovie.

Bottom line, the free version of Da Vinci Resolve and lots of You Tube time, or Adobe Premiere, with expectations of their subscription costs and try to learn using the Adobe and You Tube tuitions.

This appears to not be entirely correct.

In Wondershare, I learned how to trim a video in about 10 minutes, without even reading the instructions. *NOT* spending the massive amounts of time that you describe to learn it was a primary requirement.

If you want to do professional grade editing, I can believe that would take a lot of time. If you just want to trim your videos so your friends don't think they're like watching paint dry...that turns out to be easy, with the right program. As I mentioned earlier, Corel was an abomination in that regard.

For SIMPLE requirements, there are frequently simple solutions. This is one of those cases.

Thx,

TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

Based on the OPs limitations and needs, DaVinci Resolve may not be a good fit. Even the free version has lots of stuff that goes beyond his limited needs. Even worse, it’s slow and unstable without a really good graphics card and CPU.

On the other hand, it’s free and has a good reputation so maybe worth at least a try.

Thanks to the original poster for asking a question and seeking advice I have been procrastinating on.

It looks like Wondershare has all sorts of features that I may or may not use eventually, but in their case, those fancy features don't make the simple features hard to learn. The best solution!

I managed SW purchases and development efforts for decades, from small projects in the $50K range, to projects over $100M. The fastest way to get tied up in your own underwear, and spend excessive amounts of time and money, is to pursue a solution that goes well beyond your actual requirements.

Now, of course, I need to get a new computer, but that's a separate project!

Thx,

TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

With video editing there is no free lunch

Not looking for free. Just looking for a burger instead of a steak!



TCS

 

[Chaosrider]

More than happy "to expound." My point was, when I say "no free lunch" I mean there is no easy way to learn video editing no matter what program you choose. You have to put in the work, the hours, and the learning curve. Just like most everything else in life.

If your requirements are modest, that's just not so.

Now that I have a solution for my basic requirements, which involved very little cost or time, I'll just start doing it. As I do more of it, I'll probably think of additional things that I want to do, and I'll poke around and figure out how to do them. Incrementally. Casually.

It may be a year before I put in even 40 hours of time learning to do stuff, as opposed to just doing stuff. And it will be spread out over the year, and only when the spirit moves me.

I'm from the Elon Musk school of learning how to do stuff. The best answer is to just do it!



TCS

 

[Tufargon]

With video editing there is no free lunch

No, but at least there's more than one thing on the menu to choose from.